Car-brake



No Model.)

F. S. JOHNSON.

GAB. BRAKE. 5 No. 545,507.I Patented sept. 3, 1895.

l www y l Nrrsn STATES f *PATENT muon.

FRANK S. JOHNSON, OF NEW BEDFORD, ILLINOIS.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,507, datedSeptember3, 1895. Application ned rune 22, 1895. seria No. 553,707. (No moda.)

ism which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and which mayprimarily be operated with a very small expenditure of power,

whereby the position of the brakesshoes willbe changed and thesupporting-links thereof Y inclinedin such manner that said shoes willvbe automatically forced with considerable pressure against the rims ofthe wheels.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the courseof the subjoined description.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts whereby certain advantages in.point of simplicity and efficiency are attained, l

as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and finallypointed out 'in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of asufficient portion of a car to illustrate the application of theimprovement thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of thebrake-shoes, the supporting-link therefor, and the guiding-cylinderwithin which said link.- slides. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional viewthrough the guiding-cylinder, showing the internally-arranged link and aportion of the lower link in elevation.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring to. the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a car or asuicient portion thereof to illustrate the application of the presentimprovement, and 2 the wheels thereof.

Secured to the bottom sill or other convenient point of the 'frameworkof the carbody are two cylindrical castin gs 3, one for and adi jacentto each wheel, as shown. These cylinders may be of any desired lengthand diameter and are preferably formed with closed upper ends, beingpivotally secured in any convenient manner firmlybeneath the carbody andpreferably outside of the car-wheels. Arranged within each cylinder isan elongated link 4, extending the Aentire vertical` length of saidcylinder and secured therein at its upper end by the same means whichconnects the cylinder to the carbody orin narrow portion which passesthrough and en gages the lower end of the internally-arran ged link 4within the cylinder and a lower expanded portion the cross-bar of whichpasses through a horizontal opening 6 in the upper end of thebrake-shoe, (indicated at 7.) By means of this construction the link 5may slide upwardly within the cylinder, being held in place by the link4 and guided in its vertical movements by both said link and thecylinder. The length of the link 4 within the cylinder 3 and thebrake-shoe link 5 are so regulated that the brake-shoe may rise adistance about equal to the vertical length of said shoe.

By reference to the drawings it will be ap parent that in whicheverdirection the car is traveling, when the brake connections are 0p eratedin such manner as to bring the shoes into contact with the wheels, onlya slight pressure is needed to cause the proper shoe to bind against thetread of its wheel with sufficient force to carry said shoe upward intothe position shown in Fig. v1, in which position the links which supportsaid shoe will be inclined and the distance between the brakeshoes uponeach side of the truck will be increased. As there is little or no giveor yield to the brake-rods, beams, and other connections, it will beseen that as one of the shoes is carried upward bythe rim of the wheelit will be forced with greatly-increased press- 9 ICO relieve themselvesfrom the Wheel when the oar stops or may be Withdrawn therefrom while inmotion by means of the brake connections.

The mechanism described is very simple in construction and may bemanufactured and applied to any form of car or truck,whether for streetor railway use, at very small expense.

ItV will be apparent that the length and form of the guiding-cylinders,and also the intermediate links which connect with the brakeshoes, maybe changed, and that other changes in the form, proportion, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to Without departing from thespirit 0r sacricing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a car brake mechanism, the combination with the car body, of aguiding cylinder or casing secured to and suspended beneath the same, abrake shoe suspending link capable of sliding Within said cylinder orcasing, and a brake shoe carried by and suspended from the lower end ofsaid link, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a car brake mechanism, the combination with a guiding cylinder orcasing connected to and suspended beneath the frame of a car or truck,of an elongated link arranged within said guiding cylinder or casing, abrake shoe having a transverse horizontal opening near its upper end,and an intermediate link having said shoe suspended upon its lower endand capable of sliding at its upper end Within said guiding cylinder orcasing and the internally arranged link, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK S. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

WM. HART, FRED HART.

